Behind the Making of the Inaugural DLN Community Impact Award

The debut Community Impact Award, presented at the Design Leadership Award dinner on the last night of the Summit, has been crafted by DLN partner ABC Stone using Fantastico Danby, a rare Vermont marble distinguished by its luminous white ground and bold, painterly veining in deep charcoal tones. Sustainably quarried from the Danby mountains in Vermont, it marries American heritage with contemporary drama. Prized for both its strength and elegance, it is timeless yet unmistakably statement-making. 

‍

The stone’s unique beauty and innately American heritage felt fitting when honoring contemporary American designers. When considering the form, we were inspired by the sculptural works of Anish Kapoor. We hoped to dissolve the boundary between object and experience while giving the material a moment to shine. At once geometric and organic, Kapoor’s works embody a rare synthesis of material mastery and poetic ambiguity, turning solid matter into an exploration. We wanted our take on the award to reflect that ethos.  

‍

For the fabrication process, we looked to our friends at Precision Stone, known for its unwavering dedication to craft. They milled down the stone and rough-shaped it on the 7-axis CNC robot. From there, the awards were cut using a waterjet and hand-finished by their team of artisans. The top and left edges were left oversized to be "split face" finished, while the profiled edge and the two dimples were polished. The main face on the front and back will be honed and sandblasted with the recipient's names engraved on it.

‍

ABC Stone is deeply honored to craft this award for the Design Leadership Network. We see this recognition as a celebration of excellence, vision, and influence in our field. To shape an object that embodies the prestige and contributions of these design luminaries is both a privilege and a reflection of our shared commitment to design leadership at the highest level.

‍